Picture Perfect
by ASlaveToWords
Summary: Jesse is back from Duel Academy and his best friend is ecstatic. But the blunette brought back more the just memories and said best friend finds herself a little Jealous. Some things are going to change, but is it for the better or worse? JesseXOC


**A/N: **OK so, this is definitely the shortest fic I've ever written (hopefully it'll stay that way) and I know it's not that great. I'm kind of ashamed of it actually. However, I thought the idea was kinda cute and I just wanted to try it. I didn't have any more ideas for it so that's why it ended up being so short. Hope you guys like it anyway.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own YuGiOh GX or any of the characters

* * *

A bright red size eight impatiently tapped the wood of the dock as it's owner sighed in anticipation. Long, auburn curls were carelessly swept over a shoulder and tanned arms were crossed across a red plaid button-down shirt. Worn-out jeans hugged the well-rounded hips that moved as the small weight was shifted from one foot to the other. Bright green eyes scanned the numerous heads as people crowded around the huge ship waiting for it's passengers to exit.  
Finally, pearly white teeth shone through rosy-pink lips as the green eyes caught sight of the teal patch they'd been looking for.

"Jesse!"

Amber-lee Johnson's feet pounded the dock in quick strides as she ran for the person who'd been plaguing her thoughts and mind for an entire year. A bright teal-haired teen turned towards her upon hearing her voice and beamed as his bags dropped to the ground in favor of freeing his arms.

Jesse laughed as the first person he'd been expecting to see flung herself into his open arms.

"Hey there Am. How's my girl."

Amber beamed at the nickname her best friend had long ago dubbed her and hugged him tight.

"I'm alright Jess. How about you? I got worried after I stopped getting your letters and calls."

Amber let go of Jesse and the blunette picked up his bags again before answering her. He threw one over his back, then picked one up and used his free arm to wrap around her shoulders. Amber wrapped her arm around his waist and looked up at him as they walked.

"I know, I'm sorry. There was a reason I couldn't talk to ya but you wouldn't believe me if I told ya."

Amber smiled up at him.

"Try me Jess." She said with a laugh.

Jesse looked down at her, then laughed as well.

"Yea OK, maybe later. Right now though I gotta take a nice, long nap."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Jesse yawned. Amber felt a pang of disappointment but she understood. Jesse had probably had a long trip and more then deserved a rest. They stopped together at a fork in the road, one way leading to Amber's house, one leading to Jesse's.

"OK Jess. I guess I'll see you later then."

Jesse nodded and dropped the bag in his hand again to give Amber another big hug.

"You bet. Sorry I'm a little tired, but I'll see you soon OK." He smiled again as she nodded and hugged him back. "It sure is good to see you again."

Amber smiled wide and hugged Jesse tight in return.

"You too buddy. I missed you a lot."

"Same here." Jesse added. "I'll see you later."

With a soft kiss to the top of the head, Jesse reclaimed his bag once again and continued on his way alone.

Amber watched her best friend go with a huge sigh and turned away when she could no longer see him.

"I'll see him later." She told herself. "He said so himself."

But something inside told her that it might be another while before she saw the blunette again. Things were going to be very different between them and she wasn't so sure she liked the idea of that.  


* * *

Just like she'd suspected, Amber didn't see Jesse for another few weeks. She barely saw him all summer and when she did, he was either too busy to talk to her or was talking to someone named Jaden whom he'd met at the school he'd visited, Duel academy.  
Slowly but surely, Amber was beginning to really dislike this Jaden person. Jesse was supposed to ber _her_ best friend, they were the ones who were supposed to be inseparable and know each other inside out. But ever since Jesse had come back from DA, it seemed all he had time for was his deck and talking to this Jaden character. Everything she had shared with him seemed to be so distant and far away.

Amber remembered the one time Jesse had come to see her and they had gone out for ice cream in their favorite ice cream parlor. It was a small, local place with the best ice cream either one of them had ever tasted. It was there that she had gotten really angry with the blunette for the first time in their lives.

Jesse had told her why he hadn't been writing and all the things that had happened while he was at Duel Academy. She was a little iffy about the energy-stealing bracelets, but let it go. Why would Jesse lie to her? Besides, it was possible, right? She was also lenient about the 'duel ghouls' Jesse had told her about. She even let the whole crazy lady named Yubel thing go; another misunderstood evil person who seemed evil but wasn't really and was only hurting inside looking for a little revenge.... sure, it could happen.

But it was when Jesse got to the part about being taken to another dimension and being possessed by this Yubel character that Amber lost it.

"Are you serious?" She bellowed out loud, drawing a great deal of attention to the two.

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that crap?! I've put up with your lame excuses and stupid stories long enough, and no one else in their right mind would have put up with what I did, but this is too much Jesse! I'm supposed to be your best friend! You go away and meet all these supposedly _fabulous_ people, forget all about me and toss me aside like I'm your old teddy bear you don't need anymore, and then you come back and make up some bull, surreal story so it looks like you were the good guy all along?! Come on! How stupid to you think I am Jesse?"

Jesse had frowned deeply as he starred up at her, ignoring all the people now starring at them.

"I told you you wouldn't believe me." He'd said sadly.

"Ya think?" Amber yelled back angrily. "Who in their right mind would believe something like that?!"

Amber sighed as the memory faded. She had stormed out on Jesse, leaving the heartbroken teen behind to think of what to do with himself.

He hadn't gone back to her since and weeks crawled by before Amber finally got over her anger at the end of summer and gone to him. She'd apologised and reasoned that whatever had happened was obviously between him and his new friends and whatever he'd seen and done was the past. She wanted to be part of his future, whatever part he'd let her be.

Of course, this had Jesse ecstatic. He was glad to have his best friend back and assured her that that was exactly what she was. There was room for all his friends in his life, new and old, and he wasn't willing to sacrifice any of them.

* * *

So, there she was, sitting on Jesse's bed in his room while she waited for him. She tried to ignore all the new pictures and items Jesse had brought back with him placed all over the room. It made her feel better though that all the pictures of her and the two of them were still in their original places as well, along with the items and such which held meaning to them both, all in exactly the same places they'd always been.

Amber looked around at all the pictures and such and felt rather foolish for thinking the things she had. She was still hurt that Jesse had lied to her so fully about why he'd stopped writing, but decided it was done and over with. Besides, being the person he was, she hadn't expected him to come back without any new friends and was glad that he had made some new ones.

It was when she was examining a new card Jesse had shown her from his deck that she saw the object on his bedside table. Placing the deck back down, she looked closely at the object. It was an electronic picture frame that was showing a slide show of Jesse and his friends from Duel Academy. She smiled at all their kind faces as a new jealously washed over her; one that found her wishing she had met all these people and shared in some of the grand adventures and fun Jesse had told her about.

Just when she'd thought the pictures were through, Amber's mouth dropped open at one that appeared before her. It was a picture of her favorite blunette and his new brunette chum. Her vision turned red as she noted with rising anger and deep jealousy that the two were sharing in a pose that was supposed to be hers and Jesse's trademark pose.

_"He promised!"_ She thought, angry but mostly deeply stung. _"He said that pose was ours and he'd never use it with anyone else!"_

Without thinking, Amber's hand shot out and whacked the frame hard, causing it to fall in seemingly slow motion to the ground. With it fell Amber's face as it went from burning anger and pain to one of genuine shock.

The frame hit the ground and made a sickening crashing sound as the light from the screen flickered and went out. Without meaning or intending to, Amber had destroyed the evidence of Jesse's past encounters. Her hands slowly went up to her shocked mouth as guilt and dread filled her.

"Oh no..." She whispered, a sickening feeling building somewhere deep in her stomach. "What have I done...."

"What happened?"

Amber's head snapped up to the doorway to see Jesse starring at the broken frame with confusion. Amber swallowed hard as her face dropped into a deep frown.

"I-I-...... I didn't..... Jesse I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to! It was an accident!"

Jesse's face went blank as he looked from Amber back to the frame and starred at it.  
After a long, sickening and painful silence, Jesse finally looked back up at Amber and, to her relief, smiled.

"Don't worry Am, it's only a frame. I've still got the flash drive for it so all I have to do is get another frame. No harm done."

Amber couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that the frame would be back -- how cruel -- but it was quickly over-shadowed with relief that Jesse wasn't angry with her. Technically, breaking it hadn't been an accident but could pass for one easily enough.  


* * *

Months went by and before either teen knew it, it was Christmas eve.

Jesse and Amber were sat around the brunette's Christmas tree, chatting about this and that; again, Jesse's travels abroad, new schools and careers they'd been considering, what they thought they were going to get for Christmas, and everything in between.

At around ten o'clock, after a few Christmas specials, games and lots of laughter, Jesse took Amber over by the tree once again and sat her down. He pulled out her Christmas gift from him and handed it to her.

"I want you to open it now." He said with a smile.

Amber gave him a smile and a confused look but accepted the thin, narrow gift anyway. She carefully unwrapped it, then removed the gift from the small box inside. Her heart gave a little jump at what she saw.

"Jesse.. it's-"

"Turn it on."

Doing as she was told, Amber turned the electronic frame on and watched with blurry eyes all the past pictures ad memories the two had shared together. Her smile was impossibly big as she watched them all go by, and just when she thought they were finished and went to give Jesse a hug, he pulled away and told her there was more.

Looking once again down at the frame, Amber's eyes widened at the last picture. Standing in the middle all alone was Jesse, holding a sign that read; 'I made a new best friend while I was away, I'm sorry Am. Guess that means you'll have to be something else?'

Jesse's smile was shy and sheepish as the girl across from him looked up into his face.

"Whatta ya think?" He said with a smile. "I guess I could have two best friends, just thought you'd like a promotion after all this time."

Amber couldn't help but laugh a little at Jesse's playful words.

"A promotion is just what I wanted for Christmas sir." She replied playfully.

Jesse laughed and moved into her face but Amber pulled away.

"Wait Jess." She said, a deep frown on her face. "I-I have to tell you something first."

Jesse frowned too and sat back.

"What is it Am?"

Amber looked down at her frame and fingered the edge guiltily.

"Back a few months ago, when I broke your frame from DA.... it.... it wasn't an accident -- not technically. I got angry and jealous and hurt when I saw you and Jaden in that pose... it was suppose to be our pose Jesse. I didn't really mean to I guess, but I wasn't really thinking and I kinda broke it on purpose.... I'm so sorry..."

Jesse starred at his new girlfriend for a moment, then grinned wide.

"I know." He said simply. Amber looked up at him in shock.

"You do?"

"Yea. I was standing in the doorway watching you." Jesse laughed, then suddenly frowned. "I'm sorry Am, I didn't know all that upset you so much. I won't do that pose with anyone else from now on, I promise."

Amber laughed and shook her head, greatly relieved that that was off her chest and that the blunette, once again, wasn't angry with her.

"Don't be silly Jess. It's such a stupid thing to get angry or jealous over, I don't know what was wrong with me. But I wanna make a new pose with you, right now. One that I really do hope you only share with me."

Jesse watched in confusion as Amber grabbed her camera on the near-by end table. She crawled over to him and sat in front of him, then pressed her lips firmly to his. Jesse's eyes widened in shock just as the camera flashed. Pulling away to look at the picture, Amber laughed and showed the blunette. Both teens laughed at their own expense and eventually Jesse took the camera.

"My turn." He said with a smile.

Holding the camera away from them, Jesse took another picture; minus the surprised look this time. This time, Jesse's free arm was around Amber and hers were around his waist. Her head was on his shoulder as Jesse leaned down to press his lips knowingly to hers.

When the two pulled away and looked at the picture, they both smiled and pulled each other close. Looking down at Amber again, he pressed another feathery kiss to her lips before he made his promise. This pose was theirs, and he would definitely never share it with anyone else.


End file.
